大学レベルの英語

Sometimes it just takes one product — one very special product — for a company to make it big. In Apple’s case, the release of the iPod in 2001 helped the company regain its former glory. While making the company hip again, the iPod delivered billions in revenues.

regain：取り戻す
glory：栄光
hip：最新流行の

In the 1980s, with its flagship Macintosh computer, the company was flying high. Yet competition from IBM and low-cost computer makers ate away at Apple’s market share. Later, as cheap PCs running Microsoft’s software became popular, Apple slid even further.

flagship：最も重要なもの
be flying high：好調である
eat away at X：Xをむしばむ
slide：滑り落ちる (slide – slid – slid)

The return of company founder Steve Jobs in the late 1990s was the beginning of 10 Apple’s turnaround. Its new iMac computers became a big hit. Yet that was nothing compared to the success of the tiny iPod.

turnaround：逆転

The first iPod was an easy to use digital music player. It wasn’t a new concept, but the look and features of Apple’s offering made it more attractive than other devices. The first iPod could store 1,000 songs, a huge amount at the time. And its modern design and soft white color turned the music player into a fashion statement.

device：装置、デバイス
fashion statement：流行を示すもの

In the years that followed, the iPod’s popularity grew. Apple released version after version, keeping the product fresh and up-to-date with the newest technology. New features were added over time, including color screens, photo viewing, and the ability to watch videos.

in the years that followed：数年の月日が流れて
fresh：斬新な
up-to-date：最新型の
over time：時がたつにつれて

Apple’s iTunes software made it easy to transfer songs from a computer to an iPod. The company also started selling songs and videos on the Internet, another successful part of the iPod equation. In fact, by January 2008, more than four billion songs had been purchased from the iTunes website.

equation：関連する事柄

The numbers for the iPod are also impressive. In just a few short years, from 2001 to late 2007, more than 150 million iPods were sold. Sales of the product grew to represent more than half of all of Apple’s revenues. In just the first quarter of 2007, that meant $3.4 billion in revenues. Now that is music to a company’s ears.

impressive：印象的な、感銘を与える
represent：代表する
quarter：四半期
music to one’s ears：耳触りのよい、素晴らしい知らせ

Communication. It is key to doing business. The telephone is one of the most powerful tools in connecting people across distances. However, in most African countries, there are not nearly enough landlines, which are costly to lay down and maintain. That is where cheap wireless technology comes in, allowing people in cities, on farms, and even on fishing boats to have a phone. Leading the way in connecting Africa is MTN, Africa’s largest cell-phone company.

landline：地下通信線
costly：高価な
lay down：建造する

MTN started offering cell-phone services in South Africa, where the company is based, in 1994. Three years later, it began expanding to other African countries, starting with Uganda, Rwanda, and Swaziland. By 2004, MTN was serving more than 11 million people. Considering that the company started with a ten-year goal of signing up 500,000 customers, that level of success is out of this world.

be based：本拠地がある
be out of this world：とびきり素晴らしい

But MTN was just getting started. In 2005, it made its first moves into the Middle East, paying for a license to operate in Iran. Then, in May 2006, MTN made one of the biggest moves in the history of African business. For $5.53 billion, it bought Investcom, a Dubai-based cell-phone company that operated in three Middle Eastern and six African countries. That increased MTN’s customer base to 28 million people across 21 countries.

operate：操業する

This rapid growth in cell-phone use has had many positive effects. Of course, it is great for MTN’s bottom line. But it also changes people’s lives. Before heading back to port, fishermen can phone ahead to find the best place to bring their catch. Farmers can ask around to find the best price for their crops. And people can stay in touch with relatives in distant places.

bottom line：売上
head back to X：Xへ戻る
phone ahead：事前に電話を入れる
stay in touch with X：Xと連絡を維持する
relatives：親類の人、身内

But voice communication is just the beginning. MTN also offers Internet access, which will continue to grow as wireless technology improves. Considered a model company, MTN is regularly voted as one of the best companies to work for in South Africa. On its 10th birthday, MTN was praised by Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s former president, as a model African business. Indeed, the future looks bright for this cell-phone superstar.

model：模範的な
regularly：いつも
vote：認める、みなす

Lenovo is one of the great success stories of the modern Chinese economy. Once mainly known as China’s personal computer (PC) market leader, it became a household name worldwide with its purchase of IBM’s PC division.

division：部門

The company, originally called Legend, began like many other technology companies — as a small start-up. In 1984, 11 computer scientists started the firm in a small building in Beijing. Their research and know-how were important tools as they built low-cost computers for the domestic market.

start-up：操業開始(の企業)
domestic market：国内市場

By the mid-1990s, Legend had grown into the top — selling PC maker in China’s home and office markets. The following decade, the company changed its name to Lenovo. Along with the name change came a big move that really raised eyebrows.

raise (one’s) eyebrows/an eyebrow：(驚き・軽蔑・非難などで)眉を上げる
(ref.) knit one’s eyebrows：(困惑・不機嫌を表して)眉を寄せる
(ref.) One’s eyebrows knit.：眉をひそめる

In 2005, Lenovo completed the acquisition of IBM’s PC division, including its desktop and notebook lines. This was huge news. After all, IBM had been largely responsible for the birth of the home PC market 20 years earlier. It had invented the laptop computer, and its ThinkPad line was one of the world’s top brands. Lenovo had boldly announced to the world that it was a serious force in the PC industry.

acquisition：買収
line：製品ライン
largely：大いに
laptop computer：ノートパソコン
boldly：大胆に

Lenovo quickly made changes to the ThinkPad line. For instance, it started selling ThinkPads (which had always been black) in titanium. It also sold versions of the notebooks with wider screens. These changes were met with some resistance, yet Lenovo was determined to make the line its own as it left IBM’s shadow.

in titanium：チタン製の
resistance：抵抗
be determined to X：Xするいことを決心している

Taking its place as an industry leader, the company has been praised for its support in the fight against piracy. In April 2006, Lenovo signed a $1.2 billion deal with Microsoft, agreeing to install Windows operating systems on its new computers. The company has also helped build its brand by sponsoring the Olympics.

be praised for X：Xであることを称賛される
piracy：著作権侵害
sponsor：スポンサーを務める

After the IBM deal, Lenovo took its place as the world’s third-largest PC seller. Along with computers, Lenovo develops cell phones, computer equipment, and other electronic products. With over 20 years in the business, $13 billion in revenues, and 20,000 employees, it is a powerhouse that we will surely be hearing from for many years to come.

deal：取引
equipment：備品
for many years to come：これから長きに渡って

Few companies in the food and drink industry have grown as widely and successfully as Starbucks. In just two decades, Starbucks has grown from a small chain of U.S. coffee shops into an international powerhouse. From Japan to England to Mexico, Starbucks is now one of the world’s best-known brands, with thousands of s shops around the world.

powerhouse：大手企業

What is the secret of their amazing success? Actually, both the history and concept of Starbucks are very simple. It started in the 1970s as a small chain in Seattle, Washington, a crowded market with heavy competition. The owner, Howard Schultz, was looking for a way to make his shops unique. So he took a trip to Italy, where he studied the style and culture of Italian coffee shops.

competition：競争

Back in America, Schultz applied some of his findings. He made Starbucks shops more comfortable and sold a variety of high-quality European and American drinks. The “coffee culture” he created turned out to be very popular. Starbucks cafes became fun places to chat, read the morning paper, or hold a business meeting.

turn out to be：という結果になる
hold a meeting：会議を開く

Behind this simple idea is a strong business model and excellent marketing, and the company’s sales and profit numbers are remarkable. Starbucks went public in 1992. Over the next decade, sales grew an average of 20 percent per year, while profits grew an average of 30 percent yearly. As the company expanded overseas in the mid-1990s, its market share and profits continued to rise. Investors rewarded the stock by driving up the stock price.

go public：上場する
reward the stock：株式に報いる
drive up：上げる

Of course, every success produces competitors. Other coffee-shop chains have opened to try to capture some of the lucrative market. Also, Starbucks already has a large number of coffee shops in the U.S. (more than 11,000 in 2008). That means they are running out of places to open shops domestically.

capture：獲得する
lucrative：利益の上がる
run out of X：Xを使い果たす
domestically：国内で

Regardless of these issues, Starbucks continues to grow and impress. There is still plenty of room to expand overseas. Also, riding the strength of their brand, they now sell bottled coffee drinks, ice cream, coffee beans, and other products. With so many revenue sources and ongoing expansion plans, the sky’s the limit for Starbucks.

regardless of X：Xとは関係ない
impress：感銘を与える
revenue source：財源
ongoing：継続している
expansion：拡大
the sky is the limit：天井知らず、可能性に制限がない
(ref.) be skyrocketing：青天井である

At any given time, most people have something they want to buy or sell. What they usually dont’t have a storefront. That is where eBay.com, the Internet’s largest auction site, can help. eBay makes it easy for people to sell virtually anything (provided it is legal), from $10 cookie jars to million-dollar beachfront houses.

storefront：店頭、店先
virtually：実質的には、ほぽ
provided that X：Xという条件で
cookie jar：クッキージャー(クッキーやお菓子を保存する容器)
beachfront：浜辺沿いの

The San Jose, California-based company started operations in 1995. At first, most auctions were for small, inexpensive items like household goods, CDs, and collectibles. Over the years, eBay has matured into a marketplace for cars, fine art, and other high-end products as well.

household goods：家庭用品
collectible： 趣味の収集品 (= collectable)
mature into X：成長してXになる
high-end：高級の、高性能の
as well：その上

The business model is simple. eBay earns money by charging sellers to list items on its website. The owner may offer an item for a fixed price, or may instead sell it by auction — that is, sell it to the person who offers the most money. There are initial listing fees, fees for special features, and final selling fees. eBay also earns money from PayPal, a website owned by eBay that allows people to send money over the Internet.

initial：最初の

With millions of items listed on the site everyday, eBay has grown into a multibillion-dollar business. For several years, eBay was one of the Internets most envied companies, and its success led to four stock splits in six years. If you had bought just a single share of eBay stock in 1998, you would have had 24 shares by 2006!

stock split：株式分割

But it hasn’t all been purchases and cream for this Internet giant. Fraud has become a major issue. Though most sellers are honest, there are more than a few crooked dealers. For instance, in 2006 a woman paid $2,400 for a wedding gown that she never received, and another woman was charged with cheating people out of more than $50,000. eBay says it is working hard to combat fraud, but with over a billion items sold on the site in 2007, that is easier said than done.

peaches and cream：すばらしい人(もの)
(ref.) beer and skittles：面白おかしいもの　※否定表現にて使用
(ref.) bowl of cherries：楽しいもの　※否定表現にて使用
giant：巨大企業
fraud：詐欺、ペテン
crooked：心の曲がった、腹黒い
cheat X out of Y：XからYをだまし取る
with：なのだから
That’s easier said than done.：言うは易く行うは難し

There have also been complaints over eBay’s fee structure. In response to eBay’s increasing fees, some sellers have turned to other sites like Overstock.com and Amazon.com.

in response to X：Xに応じて

Still, it is estimated that 1.3 million people worldwide make all or part of their 10 income by selling products on the site. And with over 15,000 employees and 100 million members, eBay remains a major company by any estimate. But its future performance, unlike its past, will probably be more solid than remarkable.

estimate：見積もる、推定する
solid：堅実な
remarkable：顕著な、注目に値する

Since the mid-1990s, one of the greatest online challenges has been setting up voice chat over the Internet. Many early endeavors were criticized for their poor quality. Then along came Skype, a company started by two Europeans looking to change the way we communicate. Skype was founded by Niklas Zennstrom (a Swedish citizen) and Janus Friis (a Danish citizen) in 2003. Neither of these brilliant young men were novices in the field. Together they had formed several software and Internet companies, including KaZaA, a program that lets people share files over the Internet.

set up：構成する
endeavors：試み
then along camse X：Xが現れてから
brilliant：立派な
novice：初心者

To use Skype, two computers need to install the free program. Then, using a 10 microphone and speaker (or headset), people can talk to each other for free over the Internet. It is as simple as that. No wonder the software has been downloaded nearly 300 million times.

It is as simple as that.：それだけのこと

Aside from voice chat, Skype has an array of other features, such as text-chat, video-chat, and file-sharing functions. The program is used by individuals, companies, and even English teachers, who hold conversation classes through Skype. At last, people can talk across long distances without paying an arm and a leg.

aside from X：Xはさておき
an array of：いくつかの
paying an arm and a leg：高額を支払う
(ref.) an arm and a leg：法外な値段、大変な出費
(ref.) cost an arm and a leg：バカ高くつく

But Skype is not a charity. It earns money by charging for premium services. With SkypeIn, you pay an annual fee for a local phone number in the U.S., Japan, or one of many other countries. When someone calls that number from a regular telephone, you receive the phone call on your computer. SkypeOut works the opposite way. You pay a fee to use your computer to call a regular telephone. Skype also charges a fee for its Skype Voicemail service. Still, these services are generally much cheaper than those offered by traditional telephone companies.

charge：請求する

In October 2005, the fast-rising company was bought by eBay for $2.1 billion. Skype continues to enhance its software while adding new ways for people to use its services — on cell phones and PDAs, for example. As more people say “I’ll Skype you” instead of “I’ll call you”, the way we communicate may never be the same again.

fast-rising company：急成長企業
enhance：高める

Bangalore, India, is one of the world’s booming cities. Companies around the world are scrambling to set up telephone call centers, product development centers, and offices for their information technology (IT) activities in Bangalore. One of the city’s key service providers is Wipro Technologies, an Indian company that is now one of s the world’s largest IT firms. At the helm is Azim Premji, the man who turned the company from a million-dollar business into a multibillion-dollar powerhouse.

brooming：急成長の
scrable to X：Xしようと先を争う
set up：設立する
be at the helm：実権を握っている
(ref.) be at the wheel：支配権を握っている
turn X into Y：XをYに変える
powerhouse：最強の者

Premji, born in 1945, took over his father’s company at the early age of 21. At the time, Wipro had nothing to do with technology. In fact, it sold vegetable oils. Premji had not even graduated from university yet, but he had to win the confidence of the 10 company’s shareholders. He did this by diversifying the types of food products sold by the company. Later, seeing that IT was the way of the future, Premji steered the company to focus on computer software.

take over：引き継ぐ
have nothing to do with X：Xと無関係である
shareholder：株主
diversify：多角化する

Under Premji’s leadership, Wipro grew into a global IT leader, with some of the world’s largest companies as its clients. For instance, Wipro is a big player in the cell-phone market, developing software for clients such as Nokia and NEC. The company has put up very impressive numbers, with 32 percent revenue growth in the 2007-8 fiscal year and about 80,000 employees.

put up：公表する
fisical year：会計年

Besides his business ingenuity, Premji is known for his charity work. In 2001, he started the Azim Premji Foundation. This organization supports the improvement of schools in India. Its mission is to make a quality education available for all of India’s children. It has already helped more than 10,000 schools.

ingenuity：発明の才、創意

Azim Premji is proud not only of his company’s achievements but also of India’s economic growth. He encourages companies to reduce costs by looking to Indian firms for IT and BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) services. Premji may be one of s the world’s richest men (no. 60 in 2008, according to Forbes magazine), but he is concerned for the future of his country. That future, in Premji’ eyes, starts with India’s children.

be concerned for X：(心配するがあまり)Xに関心がある
(ref.) be concerned about X：(心配するがあまり)Xに関心がある
(ref.) be concerned with X：(責任を感じて)Xに関心がある

It is hard to imagine the Internet without Amazon.com. One of the Web’s first major e-tailers, Amazon has become almost synonymous with online shopping. Since its early days of just selling books, Amazon has ballooned into a multi-product, multibillion-dollar company. Along the way, it has survived the ups and downs of the Internet’s growth, which has seen many competitors come and go.

e-tailer：電子小売
synonymous：同義の
balloon into X：Xにふくらむ、Xへ急進する
multi-product：多品目の
along the way：ここに至るまでに
ups and downs：起伏

Amazon opened its doors online in 1995. It was truly a “garage business”; the company’s founder, Jeff Bezos, started by packaging and shipping books from his home garage. The concept of shopping for books online was very exciting to people. At last, they could locate almost any book without having to make phone calls to several bookstores. People could also save money by shopping on Amazon, which offered discount prices that traditional bookstores couldn’t match.

locate：場所を突き止める

As Amazon’s reputation grew, it made many aggressive moves. The company grew its market by launching international websites, starting with sites for England and Germany in 1998. With a goal of becoming a one-stop shopping site, Amazon is expanded its product lines to include DVDs, CDs, and countless other items. And the company formed partnerships with many e-tailers and individuals to help sell their products using Amazon’s technology and services.

aggressive：攻撃的な
launch：(プログラムを)立ち上げる
one-stop：1つで全てをみなす

Despite all the hard work, the road to success has been a bumpy one. For years, Amazon lost huge amounts of money. Some of its partnerships, such as its relationship with Toys “R”Us, have not worked out. After the dot-com bust of 2000, when many Internet businesses went under, Amazon’s future was not at all clear.

bumpy：でこぼこの
work out：うまくいく
bust：失敗、破滅
go under：(会社などが)破産する

During the long storm, Amazon kept flying the flag and pushing on, investing millions each year to improve its technology. The hard work paid off. From 2001 to 2007, the resilient company grew by an average of almost 30 percent per year. In 2003, Amazon achieved its first profit, and it continued to deliver impressive sales figures and profits in the years that followed. Not bad for a company that started in someone’s garage.

fly the flag：旗を揚げる
(ref.) keep the flag flying：降参しない、信念を貫く
(ref.) show the flag：姿を見せる
pay off：利益を生む
resilient：回復の早い
figure：数字

Google.com is one of the world’s most frequently visited websites. It was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, two Stanford University graduate students, in 1998. Since then, Google has gone on to become the Internet’s most popular search engine. However, hand in hand with this success has come a fair amount of suspicion and distrust.

graduate student：大学院生
hand in hand：相伴って
suspicion：疑い、疑念
distrust：不信用、疑惑

Internet users love Google. It is fast (often delivering search results in less than a second), and it organizes search results clearly. Over the years, Google has grown to add services such as image searches, video searches, and Gmail, Google’s version of e-mail. You can even download a toolbar that lets you perform a Google search without visiting the website. The best part is, all of these services are free!

deliver：(成果などを)出す

Website owners also love Google. The company’s “Google bots” roam the Internet continuously, cataloging the sites they visit. That means even the smallest of websites has a chance to appear in a Google search result. For e-commerce sites, Google is often critical to their business, and appearing high on a list of search results can help a company make a fortune. Appearing low on a list (or even worse, not appearing at all) can cause serious damage to a company’s profits.

roam：歩き回る
catalog：(物事を)分類する
be critical to X：Xにとって決定的である
fortune：財産、富

Clearly, Google is a very powerful website, and its business practices have attracted a lot of criticism. One of the company’s main revenue streams is paid advertising. Critics charge that Google gives its advertisers suggestions so that they can make changes to help their websites appear higher up on a search.

attract criticism：批判を呼ぶ
revenue stream：収入源
critic：批評家
charge：非難する

People are also worried about privacy. For example, a copy of every user e-mail sent on Gmail is kept on a Google server. Also, when you install the Google toolbar,it lets Google track every website you visit. Google says it is simply trying to help you perform searches, but critics fear that this sensitive information could fall into the wrong hands.

fear：恐れる、心配する
fall into the wrong hands：悪者の手に渡る

As Google expands, it has to be careful to maintain the public’s trust. It also must work hard to convince people that it treats all websites fairly. For an old, established company, that would be a tall order. For a young company like Google, it is a huge challenge.

as：～するにつれ
convince：納得させる
established：確立した
tall order：難しい注文
(ref.) no small order：難しい注文

Most companies and businesspeople say they want to make the world a better, cleaner, and safer place. Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop, actually built her business around these values. Using all-natural products, while supporting many social and environmental causes, she grew the cosmetics company into a worldwide success ... with a heart.

cause：主義、理想

Before Roddick opened the first Body Shop in 1976, the British native traveled widely. Spending time in rural areas, she saw with her own eyes how people lived and how they dealt with the problems they faced. She was also introduced to many interesting locally grown products.

deal with X：Xに対処する
be introduced to X：Xを知る

Her first store in England sold only a handful of personal-care items, which used ingredients such as aloe vera and cocoa butter. Such ingredients, which are now fairly well known, were uncommon at the time. The store did well, and Roddick opened her second store just six months later. The Body Shop continued to grow by selling franchises, first in Europe and then elsewhere, eventually totaling more than 2,000 stores worldwide.

a handful of：少数の、少量の
ingredient：材料
franchise：営業権

Roddick built a number of core ethical principles into The Body Shop. For instance, the company opposed testing products on animals, supported human rights, and encouraged community trade. This last point was a key part of Roddick’s way of doing business. She went out of her way to support poor communities by buying products and ingredients from them. These include self-massagers from India and sesame-seed oil from Nicaragua.

ethical：倫理上の
oppose：反対する
community trade：コミュニティトレード(コミュニティと持続的な関係を築き、良質な原料や製品を公正な価格で取引する貿易の仕組み)
go out of one’s way to X：わざわざXする
(ref.) take the trouble to X：苦労してXする
sesame-seed：ゴマの実

Led by Roddick, The Body Shop also supported a number of causes. Back in 1986, it contributed to Greenpeace’s Save the Whales campaign. Also, using the power of its customer base, the company has carried out large petition drives. In 1996, its collected four million signatures for the Against Animal Testing campaign. The effort was successful, leading to a total ban on animal testing in the U.K.

contribute to X：Xに貢献する
customer base：顧客基盤
petition drive：署名運動

In March 2006, The Body Shop was bought by L’Oreal. Some people were worried that the new owners would change the way The Body Shop was run. But Roddick, who died the next year, remained confident that the “green” company she created would stay true to its values.

remain confident that X：引き続きXへの自信を示す